The U.S. Coast Guard has issued a statement that puts in context an excerpt taken from a Coast Guard intelligence assessment done before the government approved the DP World takeover

"There are many intelligence gaps, concerning the potential for DPW (DP World) or P&O (Peninsular & Oriental) assets to support terrorist operations, that precludes an overall threat assessment" of the potential merger, the half-page excerpt said. "The breadth of the intelligence gaps also infer potential unknown threats against a large number of potential vulnerabilities."

The excerpt was released by Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, at a Senate Homeland Security Committee briefing yesterday.

However a statement by Coast Guard Spokesman Commander Jeff Carter says that "what is being quoted is an excerpt of a broader Coast Guard intelligence analysis that was performed early on as part of its due diligence process. The excerpts...when taken out of context, do not reflect the full, classified analysis performed by the Coast Guard. That analysis concludes 'that DP World's acquisition of P&O, in and of itself, does not pose a significant threat to U.S. assets in [continental United States] ports.' Upon subsequent and further review, the Coast Guard and the entire CFIUS panel believed that this transaction, when taking into account strong security assurances by DP World, does not compromise U.S. security."